The Shadow Isles' History

Note that THESE ARE NOT ORIGINALLY MINE. I just don't see where else to post these, and I'm sure that they should be in the oublic eye. They are copy-pasted from this thread on the League of Legends boards, originally provided by 1Eredale. Again, none of the content that follows is mine originally; I just believe that a copy of this should be kept on the Wiki even though I'm not sure where (aside, obviously, from my own blog).

So, based on the altar quotes so gracefully provided by MrHarz (thank you!), I can deduce the following:

The West Altar Spirit (from here, Lady) has been a resident of the Shadow Isles before the East Altar Spirit (from here, Lord) - making remarks regarding the past a lot more often, she refers to longer periods of history. From this, two possibilities stem - one, is that the Lady lived before the Lord and died earlier; second, is that they both lived in the same time, but the Lord was too preoccupied with -something- to notice the passage of time. Considering the following, we can assume that the second theory is more feasible. "This place was once so... beautiful."

Long ago, the Shadow Isles underwent a period of change - an internal conflict of sorts. The seed of dispute was apparently a religious matter - faction X was a cult of Necromancy and all associated things, and faction Y was the current government. Obviously, the Lady was a member of Y, but the Lord was a very zealous supporter (and probably one of the key figures) of X. As we can see, the X have prevailed, which led to the Shadow Isles changing their entire appearance to what we see them as now. "I still remember. Only fragments... but, I remember.""Endless conflict."

The Lady and the Lord share a relationship which took place before the conflict. Due to being on the different sides of the barricades, they have been separated, and eventually grew distant from each other; and yet, the Lady still holds her memories of freedom dearly. "Has he forgotten me?"

The Lady and the Lord were apparently outstandingly great magicians - during the revolution, the X have taken the Lady captive, and exploited her powers against her will. She remained imprisoned until she passed away, and her soul remains sealed in the West Altar even now. The Lord, however, enjoys his fate, and is eager to continue his service when the time comes. "Mordekaiser... are you also a prisoner?" ""Free me my lord [Mordekaiser] so I may aid you!"

From the previous statement, Mordekaiser apparently was also once a supporter of the Y camp, and due to the Lord referring to him as a higher-up, he was probably once a prominent military figure. He did not take any major actions despite being on Valoran for a much longer time than Hecarim. All in all, despite his grim determination in all things, he seems reluctant to support the X, but has his own agenda in mind. "Mordekaiser... are you also a prisoner?"

Hecarim too was not always the half-equine armored spectre that we know today. However, the Lady's compassion goes only so far for him - she almost gave up hope on turning him back from his allegiance with the X, and only warns him against cooperating with Mordekaiser. "Remember who you once were, Hecarim!"

But what is really ominous, is the presence of a higher power above all of the Shadow Isles and their champions. The King, the former leader of the X, and currently a ruler of the Shadow Isles. Very little hints are given as to what exactly is he, but a few things can be said for certain - he is an excellent strategist, politician, and commander, securing victory for his faction in the Shadow Isles conflict and carefully staging his advance to Valoran. He also is an extremely powerful Necromancer, almost omnipotent over undead beings - as an example, he currently holds a vast majority of the Shadow Isles in lockdown ("Unleash us!"), amassing power ("Get to your task, Gravedigger!") and releasing their inhabitants only when necessary. Such massive power over their spirits invokes fear even in the strongest of heart - the Lady herself, when summoned, is forced to fake enthusiasm in her service despite her numerous remarks of strong disapproval of the current Shadow Isles.

All in all, these quotes reveal a tragic story of two mages whose fates were separated by the conflict of the Shadow Isles where the current undead King came to power and turned the Isles into a haven of death. Their souls sealed in the altars, they await the day when the Isles' army will be unleashed, and they will walk once more. But their wish is different - the Lady hopes for the defeat of the King's forces, and the Lord is eager to assure their victory.